can chickens swim?

[homecatmom]

It has been raining here for about 14 hours. That may not seem like alot to some of you, but here in California it's way more than the norm. The girls are in their coop with a little door to get outside if they choose, but once they are out it's under at least 3 inches of water in their run. It isn't that I built the run wrong, my whole back yard is under water! Are they going to be ok till the rain lets up? Should I bring them in the house? All my business machines are in the garage, so that area is off limits for them. Even the worms in the ground are swimming up and heading for higher ground. I'm beginning to think we need to start building an ark!

 

[picklespickles]

i wouldn't worry about them. mine go and stand in the mudhole a lot and seem to enjoy it. i know what you means when the worms come up. that definitely means lots of rain. as long as they have their place in the coop to be up out of it, they'll be fine. it's just an adventure for them.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

My birds would be out wading in it! lol

It was steadily raining here last weekend (not to mention it was COLD!) and they were out in it all day.

 

[snugglepup]

What are you doing with our rain? Give it back!!

<--in very dry NC

 

[allen wranch]

They should be OK as long as they have a dry coop to get into. However, you could throw some pallets down in the run for them to stand on when they want to be outside.

If the water starts to get high enough to get into the coop, you need to move the birds. A friend's coop flooded in an unusually long rain storm (in California) and the birds drown. They had roosts to get on out of the water, but they panicked and jumped down. The water was over their heads, their feathers got soaked and they could not fly back up to the roosts. So sad...